Twickenham in Sevens coup

England will take on Wales in a one-off sevens international staged immediately after Sunday's RBS 6 Nations contest between the countries.

England will take on Wales in a one-off Sevens international staged immediately after Sunday's RBS 6 Nations contest between the countries at Twickenham Stadium.

The match showcasing the talents of the IRB Sevens World Series and Commonwealth Games rivals will be broadcast live after 5pm on Sunday, March 9.

The teams have met twice this season, England winning 33-12 in Dubai in December and 21-7 in Wellington last month.

With interest in sevens booming ahead of its inclusion in the Olympic Games, a primetime slot in the middle of the RBS 6 Nations will expose the stars of the shortened form of the game to a new audience.

RFU Chief Commercial Officer Sophie Goldschmidt said: “We’re delighted to be able to showcase international sevens with England playing Wales on such a great stage in front of our fans.

“Sevens is exciting, dynamic and reaches a growing global following as it heads towards its debut at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

“Both teams on view at Twickenham Stadium take part in a thriving World Series, which concludes with the Marriott London Sevens on May 10-11, and will be heading for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year with medals in mind.”

England Sevens Head Coach Simon Amor said: “The whole squad is looking forward to the chance of being a part of such a massive rugby occasion at Twickenham Stadium.

“We get great support from the senior coaches and players, and our aim is to perform at a level that does them and the shirt proud as our players fight it out for places at the next two World Series tournaments in Tokyo and Hong Kong.”

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “Sevens is an important part of the England Rugby programme with an exciting future ahead in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games this summer and we’ll be wishing them well on Sunday.

“England have a skilful and athletic squad and sevens is a great spectacle so I know our fans will enjoy watching them in what should be a great game against Wales.”

Wales Sevens Head Coach Gareth Williams said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of such a prestigious rugby occasion. It also provides an opportunity for a number of our development players to stake a claim for a place in the squad to travel to Tokyo and Hong Kong later this month.”

England are fourth in the Sevens World Series standings after five of the nine events that make up the tour and preparing for the next two tournaments in Tokyo (March 22 and 23) and Hong Kong (March 28 and 30).

The series then returns to the Northern Hemisphere to Glasgow (May 3 and 4) before its conclusion at the London Sevens (May 10 and 11), which attracted a record 113,000 crowd over two days at Twickenham Stadium last year.

England are then in action in the Commonwealth Games Sevens staged in Glasgow on July 26 and 27.